Troubled Times (COVID-19 pandemic series)
Hope from Paul to the Romans
The Belief of Hope
Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
What will fill you during your time of distress? Where will your peace in belief be founded? Will the Holy Spirit empower your hope? These questions hover in the air as we bear the weight of the burden of the world. Paul spoke these words to the Church at Rome and enlisted their ears to hear and to entice their hearts to give obedience to our God. This prayer, according to Matthew Henry, bears elements of Fresh Manna, calling God by title with thanks and adding hope. If we believe in Jesus, then we must abound in hope.
Efficacious God —Ephesians 1:5-8. Grace is God’s good pleasure that moves Him to grant merit where it is undeserved and to forgive a debt that cannot be repaid, and for this, we say thank you. For the efficacious Grace we enjoy and the peace we share, we with a spirit of oneness give You praise. We decree and declare blessings in abundance with peace, so that; by the power of the Holy Spirit, we establish hope in Christ Jesus. Now, for the Kingdom and Glory of God, we petition, with anointing, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Savior, Amen.